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Diversion Channel

Milepost:

8.10

In the early 1930’s, the W.P.A. dredged this channel between Ossawinamakee (Ojibwe for ‘Long Lake’) and Pelican Lake. It was the “dust bowl” years and Pelican Lake was drying up. The plan was to move the Ossie water into Pelican. While this worked for a while, in time things reversed, and now water is flowing from Pelican into Ossie. Pelican Lake is still the largest natural lake (not part of a chain of lakes) in Crow Wing County. The cattails currently seen in Pelican Lake appeared after the 1930’s drought. This beautiful channel is the subject of one of Crosslake artist, Tom Ottoson's Byway Oils.